N.C. State looks for strong finish to regular season

North Carolina State wouldn’t mind a bit of history repeating, if only it could make a couple amendments.

It was about this time last season when N.C. State hit its stride and was clearly playing its best basketball.

And while it’s safe to say N.C. State is aiming for that same type of finishing kick to end this season, there’s one aspect within reach that the Wolfpack is striving toward in its last game of the regular season.

N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried has made it clear how important finishing in the top four of the conference standings would be — giving the Wolfpack a bye in the first round of the ACC Tournament.

“Coach stresses how important that is to us every day,” guard Rodney Purvis said.

With Virginia’s loss to Florida State on Thursday night, the Wolfpack owns its destiny as to whether it will finish in the top four. A victory today means N.C. State would finish no worse than fourth and could finish third if Duke defeats North Carolina.

N.C. State holds the tiebreaker on North Carolina by way of mutual records against Duke.

But if N.C. State loses today and Virginia defeats Maryland on Sunday night, the Wolfpack would fall to fifth by way of a head-to-head tie-breaker with Virginia (N.C. State lost its only game against Virginia this season, 58-55 on Jan. 29).

So, while those scenarios will keep fans and media plenty busy in the final weekend of conference play, don’t count Gottfried or his team among those who will be tracking out-of-town scoreboards.

“Here’s what we need to do, and we all can sit around and say, ‘OK, if that happens and that happens and that happens …,’ Gottfried said. “What we need to do is play our best basketball. That’s what we need to be worried about.”

The simplest outcome for N.C. State is to win today and plan for a Friday arrival in Greensboro for the ACC Tournament, instead of partaking in Thursday’s first-round action.

“I think it’s all about momentum and I think you see that every year in the NCAA Tournament and in league tournaments all around,” senior Scott Wood said. “The team that gets hot at the end is usually the team that does well in the tournaments.”

The Wolfpack, in fact, has been hot recently. Winner in six of its last seven games, N.C. State has seemingly put its mid-season swoon in the past.

Even in that stretch, N.C. State has put together some inconsistent performances. That isn’t a recent issue for the Wolfpack either.

“We just have to go out here and play hard from start to finish. I know we’ll come out and either start strong and not finish great or get off to a slow start,” senior Richard Howell said. “That’s something that you can’t do in the ACC Tournament.”

Tip-off

Who: N.C. State (22-8, 11-6) at Florida State (16-14, 8-9)

When: 2 today (ESPN2)

Where: Tucker Center, Tallahassee, Fla.

Series: N.C. State leads 28-21, including an 84-66 victory Feb. 19 in Raleigh